When do I use the Imparfait as opposed to the Passé Composé?

Understanding when to use the Imparfait and when to use the Passé Composé can be quite tricky at first. There are however, a couple of guidelines which can help you. Let’s take a look at the Imparfait first. The Imparfait is used to describe an event in the past without indicating its beginning or end. It also describes actions that took place on a regular basis or an indefinite amount of times. Finally, the Imparfait is used to describe a past state of being/feeling and when describing a situation. The Passé Composé, on the other hand, is used to describe completed actions in the past, a series of events or actions that took place a definite number of times. Whenever there is a change of state/feeling we also use the passé composé. Often, we will use the Imparfait and the Passé Composé in the same sentence. We will use the Imparfait to describe the situation/environment and will use the Passé Composé to introduce the change/interruption to the scene. Another helpful hint is to look out for key words that would give away whether what you are describing is an extended/recurring process (chaque jour/semaine, normalement, souvent, parfois) or a one-time event (un jour, une semaine, une fois, deux fois, ensuite, puis, tout à coup). Let’s look at a couple of examples. Are you feeling confident in your conjugations of both tenses?